TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– The purpose of ths paper is to report that timely interventions to facilitate medical patient flow and reduce medical outliers may be associated with a reduction in hospital mortality.Design/methodology/approach– Interventions to improve the flow of medical patients were used to unblock and facilitate the discharge process allowing a reduction in medical outliers. SPC run charts of mortality were used to quality control the changes.Findings– Timeliness in daily senior medical review and discharge planning, a level 1 medical ward, and outreach including ALERT training and early warning scoring allowed a rationalisation in medical beds and a reduction in mortality for emergency medical admissions, reflected in a lower hospital standarised mortality rate (HSMR).Practical implications– Interventions to improve flow can also lead to a reduction in mortality.Originality/value– This paper emphasises how quantitative flow improvements can also generate qualitative improvements.
VL  - 13
IS  - 1
SN  - 1477-7274
DO  - 10.1108/14777270810850607
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/14777270810850607
AU  - Gilligan Stephen
AU  - Walters Melanie
ED  - Hugh Rogers
PY  - 2008
Y1  - 2008/01/01
TI  - Quality improvements in hospital flow may lead to a reduction in mortality
T2  - Clinical Governance: An International Journal
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 26
EP  - 34
Y2  - 2024/04/27
ER  -